Nov 19, 2014

Keep the Burglars at Bay While You’re Away

Home security is something most of
us don’t even stop to consider – until something bad happens. Funny how your
perspective changes after the fact, how you gradually begin to see all the
things you’ve been doing wrong and all the little things you could have done to
prevent the worst from happening. The point of this article is not to tell you
to spend a bagful of money on the most expensive, most advanced security system
you can find, but to give you a few practical tips on how to make it seem as if
your home is occupied while you’re away, as well as a few safety measures. You
can effectively keep burglars away with nothing but a bit of smoke and mirrors
(remember “Home Alone”?), or
at least know that you’ve done everything in your power to prevent them from
invading your property.

You could have guessed from the
opening lines that I was speaking from personal experience. A few years back,
my then-boyfriend and I just finished a project we were working on for a long
time, and decided to depart from some of our hard earned pennies and splurge on a deluxe honeymoon package in Tahiti (we skipped the “getting married” part). It was easily
one of the top 5 holidays of my young life, but the magic was ruined as soon as
we got back home. My home was invaded.

What hurt even more than the loss of
some valuables was the loss of a sense of security I always took for granted.
In retrospect, it was so obvious that my home was uninhabited while I was away
that the only thing missing was a neon sign saying “burglars welcome”. The next
time I left my home for an extended period of time, I made sure to take some
precautions. Here are some tips on what you can do to help protect your home while you’re away.

Flickering
lights

While having your house lights off
for the remainder of your travels is not a good idea, keeping them on at all
times is not recommended – mainly because of your electricity bill. Investing a
bit of money in a house lighting system that can be programmed to switch on and
off at differing intervals can go a long way. Sensor lights will get the job
done. If you don’t feel like spending, leave only one or two lights randomly
on.

Don’t
brag

Feel like sharing your travel plans
on Facebook or Twitter? Don’t. Your public profiles are, as their name
suggests, public, and people with bad intentions might be paying attention. It
is easy to imagine burglars as masked shadows clad in black lurking in the
bushes, but they are just as likely to be behind a computer, scouting their
next target.

Recruit
friends and neighbors

Even though the significance of
neighborhood communities has diminished in the modern times, being on good
terms with your neighbors can come in handy in certain situations. Ask your
neighbors to keep an eye on the house, and recruit trusted friends to house-sit
for you, or at least drop by every now and then.

Bad
dog

image:theverybesttop10.com

You’d be surprised how effective a “beware of dog” plate
can be in discouraging any unwanted guests from trying to trespass. It is
almost as effective as a real scary dog. Maybe get a dog as well? That way you
will have an extra excuse to bug your friends to visit while you’re away.

Don’t
be obvious

Think of all the things that could
give away the fact that you’re out of town. Maybe you receive a large volume of
mail that could end up piled up at your doorstep? Perhaps you should
temporarily cancel any unnecessary subscriptions until you get back. Also,
don’t leave your garbage can out on the street. It may look inconspicuous when
the entire street is lined with them, but once the garbage men pass through
your can will be the only one left on the street.

Mind
the key

Do you have a special secret place
for your house keys? Maybe you placed it under the door mat? Or under a
decorative rock? Or maybe you hide it in a flower pot? Whatever the place may
be, don’t leave your keys there for the duration of your stay. Burglars are
quite well versed in invading homes even without you helping them.

Double
check

Did you lock all the doors to your
house? Closed all the windows? Check it one more time, just to stay on the safe
side. I know this seems obvious, but obvious is where people most commonly
slip.

Now that we got your house security
taken care of, proceed with packing and enjoy your travels without worrying
about all the stuff you left back home.

Author bio:

Jenny Hahn – writer, traveler,
coffee addict, cookie monster, endorser of all things good and admonisher of
all things bad (good kind of bad excluded). You can find her on facebook,
google+
or twitter.